Week In Review: Manhunt for cop shooter, protesting shutdown orders, bomb maker charged, covid vaccines arrive
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Here are some of the top Tribune-Review news and feature stories from around the region for the week of Dec. 20-26, 2020.
For more details on these and other stories, follow the links below or see Triblive.com.
Injured McKeesport patrolman expected to be released soon, search continues for suspected gunman
McKeesport Police Officer Geriasimo Athans, already shot once in the neck, took cover behind his vehicle’s engine block Sunday afternoon and emptied his weapon at the fleeing gunman, who got away, according to a criminal complaint.
The complaint offers new details into the incident in which Koby Francis, 22, is accused of shooting Athans. Francis remained at large Monday afternoon.
Athans, 32 and a four-year veteran of the city’s police department, had just arrived at the Lysle Avenue station about 4:18 p.m., according to the complaint. Within a minute, he radioed to police dispatch that he’d been shot.
Restaurant and bar owners decry Gov. Tom Wolf’s orders, encourage others to open
The words, spoken by Joe Tambellini, resonated with dozens of restaurant and tavern owners who gathered in a parking lot outside of Al’s Cafe, a restaurant in Bethel Park, on Monday. They were there for a “Rights for Restaurants” rally organized by the restaurant’s owner, Rod Ambrogi, and politicians.
Tambellini, vice president of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Restaurant and Tavern Association, encouraged his peers to reopen their restaurants and bars.
“We’re allowed to be open — just open,” he said, as the crowd cheered. “Forget about the governor, forget about all these people. You got to talk to the other restaurants and bar owners — tell them to open.”
Justice Dept. charges bomb maker in 1988 Pan Am explosion
The Justice Department on Monday unsealed charges accusing a Libyan bomb expert in the 1988 explosion of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, an attack that killed 259 people in the air and an additional 11 on the ground.
The charges were announced on the 32nd anniversary of the bombing and in the final news conference of Attorney General William Barr’s tenure, underscoring his personal attachment to a case that unfolded during his first stint at the Justice Department.
Four people from Western Pennsylvania were among the casualties.
Allegheny County Health Department receives vaccine, finalizing distribution plan
About 4,000 Allegheny County residents have received their first dose of covid-19 vaccine so far, Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen said Wednesday – the same day the health department received its first allocation of the vaccines.
“Thousands more will receive it in the coming weeks or months,” Bogen said.
Bogen said county officials are devising a plan to distribute vaccinations to health care personnel and long-term care residents, the first prioritization group designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
She said the department is starting with personnel who works for the county, including those who work on medical units, in the Allegheny County Jail, the medical examiner’s office and the health department.